Dudley Doubles Down on Effort, Enjoyment as Captain for EH Girls’ Soccer
Hannah Dudley feels that as long as you are enjoying the game and giving your all, then everything else will fall into place. As much as she has given the game with all of her fruitful efforts, it has given back to her tenfold with tremendous success, memories, and friends.
After starting to play soccer following seeing her cousin in action, Hannah took to the pitch and has now been in the sport for over a decade. While really immersing herself in the competition by doing everything from playing, to coaching in clinics, to even refereeing, she has established herself as a strong center back/defensive midfielder for the Yellowjackets girls’ soccer team and will be a senior captain this year.
“My coach when I was younger taught me to love the sport. It is my safe space out there. It helps clear my mind and gives me an adrenaline rush,” says Hannah. “A lot of my success comes from the community that supports me. My parents always listen to me vent after a rough game, and they push me to do my best. My coaches have also always been there for me and are there with any questions I have. I love them all, and I play for all of them.”
Taking upon a whole new perspective of the pitch as an official, Hannah gained a great deal of empathy and respect for the refs. She has imparted those feelings towards her teammates when they get frustrated with a call.
“From being a ref, I learned to respect the game on a different level,” Hannah says. “I learned to tell my teammates refs are humans too, and they make mistakes. They are on such a higher level of the game and have to watch so much at the same time. I have also met a lot more players and coaches through being a ref.”
While serving as a focal point of the midfield and the heart of the defense, Hannah loves her scope of the action. It enables her to help direct traffic among her colleagues, though with so much to see, she knows she has to adapt on a dime with her head on a swivel.
“I like how I can see the entire field. I can lead the team in that role and help teammates with their positioning on the field. I am also able to see every mistake,” says Hannah. “It can be tough when it comes to conditioning with all of the running involved. You also have to look back on a bad play and adjust quickly, and you have to do it with a 360-degree view of the field.”
The essence of the game is not about the final numbers on the scoreboard. Hannah notes that while she gives her all, she did have to overcome some reservations after injuries. She did it heroically by knowing the end will always bring about a gain.
“I have learned to love the sport, and that you do not have to win every game, as long as you are putting your best foot forward,” Hannah says. “I also have dealt with a series of concussions, and it set me back mentally because I would be afraid of going into tackles. But I learned that you cannot have that fear, and understand there will be a positive outcome.”
Hannah was thrust into the fray as a rookie on the varsity ranks. Though the early exposure only helped her gain valuable experience that much sooner while also developing her offensive skill set and acumen on the field.
“I started on varsity as a freshman, and I became stronger on the ball by going up against older players,” says Hannah. “As time went on, I had to learn certain offensive and 1-v-1 scenarios and how to play them. I also had to work on free kicks, and I also had to have a higher soccer IQ as I got older to help the team.”
East Haven girls’ soccer Head Coach Jake Hackett notes that Hannah is equally as proficient as a player as she is a steward for her club. Her ascendancy to her ranks on and off the field comes with little shock to him given her prior body of work.
“Hannah Dudley is a great player, great leader. She is a talented player on both sides of the ball,” says Hackett. “Hannah has put forth a tremendous effort in her time here and has worked hard to grow her game every year. I am extremely proud of both the player and person she has become. I believe she will lead the team to good things this year and will have a great year as captain of the team.”
The Yellowjackets of course want to notch a postseason berth this fall, but they want to enjoy the journey every day. Hannah harkens on the fact that they can accomplish missions on both fronts by going all out and leaving no stone unturned.
“The goal for us this year is to always give 110%, and it is not about winning every game,” Hannah says. “I came into this year as a captain wanting this team to be a family. I want the team to be close and play together. You always have to have that support system of a team. We hope to make states, and we can do it if we give that max effort. But more importantly, I hope we grow as a team with our abilities.”